Pittsburgh nose tackle accused of crashing into cars on South Side

Steelers rookie Alameda Ta'amu waived his right to a hearing Thursday on charges that he led Pittsburgh police on a chase and crashed into several parked cars while intoxicated, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage.

"Just wanted to say that I'm sorry -- a big mistake that I made on my part, and I'm doing everything possible to make this right," Ta'amu said. "I don't think there's any other word I would say but 'sorry' is the only word I can say right now."

Ta'amu said he's working to pay for the damage and has apologized to officers involved in the incident. The case will go to trial unless a plea deal is reached. His next court date is Dec. 31.

"This conduct, like so many of my cases, was spawned by inebriation. He's in counseling," defense attorney Robert Del Greco said. "I think we have some arguments with regard to elements of certain offenses, but make no mistake: he was under the influence of alcohol and drove irresponsibly."

Ta'amu, a nose tackle, is back on the team after serving a two-week unpaid suspension following his arrest on the South Side, where police said he drove a sport utility vehicle the wrong way at about 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 21.

"Looks like a car pretty much pinballed the entire way down the street; ended up right in front of my house," said witness Joe Deasy.

According to the criminal complaint, an off-duty detective called police to say the SUV was swerving across double yellow lines and passing several vehicles at a time, running red lights and speeding in an area that had many pedestrians. Several police officers ordered the driver to stop but he refused, causing them to dive out of the way to avoid being run over, the complaint said.

"It was like an episode of 'Cops.' You heard the police officer scream, 'Get down,' and that was basically all I heard," witness Kenneth Kozikowski said.

The SUV crashed into a parked vehicle, injuring a person inside the parked car who was treated and released from UPMC Mercy, police said. After crashing into more cars, the SUV was disabled and police said Ta'amu fled on foot, taking off his shirt.

Officers caught up to the 6-foot-3, 348-pound Ta'amu in a parking lot and ordered him to the ground, but he resisted being handcuffed and appeared to be reaching toward his waistband, so one officer punched him twice, police said. Ta'amu was then handcuffed and put into a police wagon "due to (his) extremely large size," police said.

In photos: Steelers rookie drives drunk, crashes into cars

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Alameda Ta'amu

Pittsburgh Steelers rookie defensive lineman Alameda Ta'amu was arrested on charges of leading police on a chase while driving drunk and crashing into parked cars, injuring a woman, authorities said.

The criminal complaint alleges that the football player's breath smelled of alcohol, and a breath test indicated a blood-alcohol content of .196 percent, more than twice the legal limit of .08 percent for a Pennsylvania driver.

Charges against Ta'amu include felony fleeing police, aggravated assault and aggravated assault by vehicle, as well as misdemeanor accident causing damage, resisting arrest, escape and DUI, according to court records.

"Obviously, it's a disturbing incident, one that we take seriously as members of this community and the organization which we are," Coach Mike Tomlin said when he announced Ta'amu's suspension in late October.

Ta'amu's teammates on the defensive line said they're not giving up on the rookie, but they also don't condone the behavior that landed him in Allegheny County Jail.

"I know all the people in this locker room are behind him. We love him. He is a great guy. No question about that," veteran nose tackle Casey Hampton said. "You just hate to see that happen to him. But at the same time, he has to make better decisions."